Keyfactor Gives Back: 2022 Global Volunteer Day

Last week, Keyfactor employees around the world traded in their laptops and headsets for paintbrushes, oven mitts, gardening gloves, and other tools to pitch in for the company’s first-ever Global Volunteer Day.

Keyfactor’s People team and Culture Committee coordinated the inaugural event, which connected our global workforce of nearly 360 employees with opportunities to give back to charitable organizations in their local community. Employees cleaned up beaches, scooped ice cream, pulled weeds, prepared meals, painted fences, and more — in support of organizations making a positive impact on their local community.

“Giving back to our communities is such an important part of who we are as a company — it’s paramount that we prioritize volunteering,” said Gail Joyce, Keyfactor’s Chief People Officer. “Keyfactor is committed to supporting these worthy organizations and programs, and giving our employees an opportunity to volunteer together multiplies their positive impact on local communities.”

Here’s a look at how Keyfactor employees around the world pitched in to support their communities.

The Atlanta team gave their time to Books for Africa, which collects and ships books, computers, tablets, and library materials to every country in Africa in collaboration with worldwide donors, publishers, and African partners. Keyfactor employees sorted and packed books according to category and reading level.

Teams in Cleveland, home of Keyfactor’s headquarters, divided into smaller groups to support several organizations.

Boys Hope Girls Hope creates opportunities for children living in under-resourced communities. Employees helped with a variety of projects to prepare for their upcoming Summer Program, from preparing meals, painting classrooms, landscaping the campus and organizing items for a golf outing fundraiser.

At the West Side Catholic Center, which provides free services, resources, and support to people in the Greater Cleveland area, Keyfactor employees sorted donated clothing and restocked the organization’s thrift store.

Another group enjoyed an afternoon outdoors, cleaning up one of Cleveland’s Metroparks. They pulled on gloves and removed invasive plants to make the park more enjoyable for visitors.

At the Ronald McDonald House, teams flexed their cooking skills by preparing meals for the Compassionate Cuisine program. Families staying at the house can enjoy a hot meal, prepared with love.

Out on the West Coast, teams gathered to beautify the beach in Mission Bay. They enjoyed fresh air while cleaning up a community landmark.

They also participated in a MapSwipe event sponsored by the American Red Cross – a virtual, online mapping initiative that allows anyone with a smartphone to vet recently-mapped areas, ensuring we have the most accurate, up-to-date maps of the world’s unmapped areas. First responders working with these communities often have to cover large areas, but lack the data necessary for an efficient response. Through MapSwipe, volunteers help pinpoint where critical infrastructure and populations are located.

In Barcelona and Madrid, teams partnered with local branches of the Eurofirms Foundation, an organization that supports adults with intellectual disabilities and women re-entering the workforce. They spent time with the program participants and helped them create homemade picture frames to display a favorite memory.

The team in Aachen participated in a blood drive sponsored by the University Hospital in Aachen. Each donor received 20 euros to donate to research projects at the hospital, which the hospital generously matched.

Additionally, they distributed sweet treats at a local elementary school, where the children enjoyed ice cream and fruit kabobs.

That afternoon, employees also spent time picking up trash from the streets around North Aachen.

Teams picked up their phones to support MapSwipe and helped pinpoint where critical infrastructure and populations are located on world maps. This work is vital to first responders supporting these communities.

Thanks to the organizations that allowed us to help out and make a small difference, and to Keyfactor’s People team and Culture Committee for making our Global Volunteer Day possible! To keep up with the latest Keyfactor team updates, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.